The Perfect Ratlami Sev (Laung Sev)

Getting to this recipe for the perfect Ratlami Sev was quite a challenge, but the end result was just absolutely worth it. The final version of the Ratlami Sev was crisp but not crunchy with the flavour of  cloves coming through. So all’s well that ends well.

Ratlam is a major junction in Madhya Pradesh and most long-distance trains from West and South of India to the North India pass through this junction. It is famous for its food and one of its iconic dishes is the potent Ratlami Sev. 

Ratlami Sev is flavoured primarily with cloves (hence it is also called Laung Sev) with pepper and carom seeds adding to the depth of flavour. It has a wonderful texture and is crisp and relatively soft.

I made this dish for the Madhya Pradesh challenge on the Shhhh…. Secretly Cooking Challenge group. This month my partner was the truly versatile Priya Suresh who blogs at Priya’s Versatile Recipes. She gave me Ajwain (Carom Seeds) and Laung (Clove) as the secret ingredients I should cook with.

My secret ingredients for Priya were Milk and Sugar and she made this delectable Mawa Jalebi | Khoya Jalebi with it.

Make this recipe exactly as I have shown here and you get fabulous results. I had to try a couple of recipes before I got to the perfect recipe for Ratlami Laung Sev. My first two tries resulted in crispy, crunchy sev that was more like Khara Sev.

The secret to making great Laung Sev from Ratlam is the oil and soda in the batter, and the consistency of the dough. 

How to Make the Perfect Ratlami Sev | Laung Sev

Roast and Grind the Spices

1. On low heat, use a large ladle or small pan to dry roast the cloves and carom seeds till they become aromatic. Be careful as cloves can burn and become bitter quickly.
2. After the spices cool, add pepper and grind all the spices to a coarse powder. Set aside.
3. Making the Dough for the Ratlami Sev
   1. In a large enough bowl, add the roasted spice powder to the besan.
   2. Mix well.
   3. Mix the oil, water, soda and salt together.
   4. Use a whisk or a hand blender to blend the oil-water till it is white and frothy. I used the chutney grinder to whip the mix as I was using just a small amount.
   5. Add half of this oil-water blend to the besan and mix well.
   6. Slowly add the rest of the oil-water blend to the besan and mix till you get a smooth but sticky dough. Use all of the oil-water mix.
4. Making the Ratlami Sev | Laung Sev
   1. Over low flame, heat enough oil to fry the sev. Ensure you use a lot of oil, otherwise the sev will change colour as you are frying and we do not want that. I added enough oil to create a 3″ depth.
   2. Test the heat of the oil by dropping a tiny bit of dough into the oil. It should rise to the surface and sizzle. The dough ball should fry without changing colour.
   3. Grease the murukku maker and fit the large sev attachment.
   4. Take a portion of the dough and transfer to a small plate.
   5. Add a little water (about 1/2 to 1 tsp) and mix well till the dough lightens in colour. Ensure that the consistency of the dough does not become runny. We are just adding enough water to get the colour to change.
   6. Fill this dough into the sev maker and pipe one round of laung sev into the hot oil.
   7. Keep flipping the sev roundel every few seconds and fry till the sev becomes crispy. Ensure that the sev does not change colour.
   8. Using a slotted ladle remove the sev from the oil and drain all excess oil.
   9. Transfer the sev to a plate and let it cool.
   10. Making the remaining sev in the same manner.
   11. When the sev has cooled, crush the rounds lightly to break them into small pieces.
   12. Serve the Ratlami Sev with hot tea or use it as a garnish for Indori Poha.

I am taking this Laung Sev to the party at Shhhhh…. Secretly Cooking Challenge. You can see what my fellow bloggers have cooked from Madhya Pradesh by clicking on the image below.